Shadows of The Night
by one heart that stands alone
Summary: The life of a duck dramatically changes when an explosion at his work place created a monster and no one remember his existence. His desire to be remember formulated into the hero that everyone knew as Darkwing Duck and this is his story. *Read Author's Note for more details*
1. Birth by Lightning

Well… I can't believe it's been almost four years since I last posted something on here. Four years to hopefully grow as a writer and throw away the horrible mistakes I did as a high school student. So anyway… this story is different from the ones I have written in the past. This story is based off of well Darkwing Duck. But not the Darkwing Duck people remember from the show.

This version is the canon back story of Darkwing, Launchpad, Gosalyn , and the gang for a role-playing site that I am apart of actively. I write for almost all of the Darkwing characters on the site and almost completely changed his story to fit the canon of Once Upon a Time… because come on… nobody would survive having a refrigerator fall on their head or being run over by a tank. So I will be writing Darkwing's story and adding some as well. So please enjoy and if you're interested in the site that I'm apart of so you can read what I've been doing with them. … Feel free and message me.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck. Believe me if I did… I would have found a way to bring it back._

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**Shadows of The Night:**

**Chapter 1: Birth by Lighting**

**March 16th, 1973:**

Saint Canard, a massive metropolis built on the edge of the Audubon Bay, a large body of water that appeared to go on for miles. A never ending sea of blue and salt water as far as the eyes can see. Saint Canard, a city that was known for its tall buildings that appear to touch the highest points of the sky. A city that never slept and where the people had something do every day. Saint Canard was one of those towns that people who call the a city of desires and business. A bridge between the quiet and peaceful that was their neighbor across the bay Duckburg to the hectic and chaotic life of Los Patos but had its share of the chaotic life.

The world was calm and peaceful for the metropolis, the Audubon Bay bridge was on its nine consecutive month of being upgraded and soon both the city of Saint Canard and Duckburg would be able to live in more consistent harmony. This harmony that they would soon be experiencing was all due to Quackwerks, a large firm that aimed to make sure that the quality of life improved for not only Saint Canard but for Duckburg and the surrounding area. They were the engineers and scientists all coming together to invent, to test and design new items. They were getting orders to design weapons and items from the military to help their cause and to benefit the people.

So out on the edge of town, in the first floor lab of the massive Quackwerks building, two engineers, Drake Mallard, a young twenty two year old duck engineering genius, the head of the Voltage project and twenty-three year old an up and coming rat who was working on his master's in electrical engineering. They had been partners in everything since high school and it only seemed natural that they were assigned to work on the Voltage Project for the military. It was light at night and they were close on reaching their ending goal for the day. They were so close but yet so far.

"Hey Drake…." Elmo mutters as he walks towards his partner with a clipboard in hand. He was watching his lab partner start fiddling with the wires of the massive machine with the large generator. With each passing second, the large generator started to spin rapidly and release a series of bright blue sparks "I...I think you might be overloading it. The readings are uh… going off the charts."

"I'm not overloading it, Elmo." Drake reassured as he adjusted the wires, he glances over to his partner, then rolls his eyes, "Believe me, I know what I'm doing."

Elmo shakes his head as he looks back over to the machine, "Drake… I don't think you do. Look at it. The machine is going nuts."

Drake groans as he stands up from the machine and approaches the rat, with a scowl plastered on his bill, "Are you doubting my capabilities, Elmo? I'm telling you the machine is fine. We just have to… uh well..." Drake shrugs as he walks over to the table, grabbing his water bottle taking a large sip, "Let it play its course."

"Play its course? Drake, this isn't a virus we're talking about here! This is a machine! A full blown machine that we were assigned to work on by the government! Does that even mean anything to you!?" Elmo growls loudly as he starts pacing around near the machine, "We can get in big trouble if we screw this up. Put that ego aside, Drake. This isn't a game anymo-!" just as Elmo's arm grazes the machine, a large series of sparks that resemble lightning bolts shoot out from it and hits Elmo dead center of his chest. He starts to scream out in pain as the sparks start erupting from his body but his body not forming the burns that were supposed to be there.

Drake's eyes widen as he tries to cover up his eyes from the bright light as Elmo's body begins to glow the same electric blue as the sparks. "Elmo!" Drake exclaims as just as the machine explodes behind the rat sending them both flying out of the glass window into the empty street.

It felt like weeks since the explosion in the Quackwerk's labs but in reality it had been only a hour or two. Drake slowly opened his eyes to see the star studded sky. His entire body covered with tiny shards of glass and his body searing in pain. The smell of burning hair filled his bill as he turned his head slowly to see Elmo laying on the ground, his brown hair now sizzled and burned but yet his body seemed to be untouched . Drake gasps out in pain as he calls out

"E-Elmo? A-Are you alright?"

"Lights… power… trapped…." Drake heard Elmo whisper softly, his eyes widen as he watched a spark of blue electricity jump from Elmo's fingers into the ground.

"Why? Why must we…."

"W-What? Elmo? What?" Drake asks as he tried to crawl towards his partner but the pain was too much

"Why…." Elmo releases a low chuckle as he slowly sits up from the ground, making eye contact with Drake. His brown eyes seemed to be lacking any life but still full of crazed power. Elmo Sputterspark was now a lifeless but crazed man, "Why must we trap all of this power? What did it ever do to you?"

"El….Elmo… what the hell… are you talking about?"

"The light bulbs, Drake. Why must we trap them? They didn't do anything to us…. We should let them be free." Elmo chuckles as he snaps his fingers watching the electricity arc between his fingers, "ooh… the sparks like me, Drake. They chose me to control them."

"H...Have you lost your mind?!" Drake coughed out as he finally managed to sit up from the pain. He glances down at his body, his feathers loose, stained with blood. A small shards of glass protruding from his coat and his shirt, blood staining the clear structures, "Light bulbs are… needed so that we can see… and those… sparks… they should have killed you, Elmo!"

"My name isn't Elmo, you idiot!" He snaps as he stands up from the ground, "Elmo Sputterspark is dead! All because of you! You incompetent, egotistical fool! You were too proud of yourself to see the failure in that machine and look what you have done! These sparks! This power!" He laughs maniacally as he steps toward Drake, sparks flying off bases of his feet, cracking on the ground like a spider's web. "the sparks choice me to be their god. The light bulbs cry out to me for mercy. They want me to save them from the pain and trouble that people like you, Drake Mallard cause for them. Their power… their watts…their voltage…. wait…" A sly smile forms across his lips as he allows an electric pulse ruins down his back, searing his long rat-like tail from his body. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the seared, long piece of flesh fell to the ground releasing a thin film of grey smoke.

The man standing before Drake didn't seem fazed by the burning pain of losing his tail. In fact, the rat-like man seemed pleased for the fact that now he had nothing holding him back. He snaps his fingers, his crazed filled eyes gleaming with happiness as he watched the blue sparks arc between his fingertips.

"I have a new name for myself…. Mega...volt…. Call me…." He gives Drake a sick, toothy grin "Megavolt and I will free all of those who are trapped by the merciless fiends like you..."

"El-Elmo….I… uh…" Drake tries to scoot away from the crazed man before him, he eyes glaring at the twitching, burned tail behind his former lab partner and friend, "Look...I'm sorry… I...I didn't mean for this… to uh… happen. I...I should have listened to you…"

"ENOUGH!" the newly christened Megavolt screamed as sparks flew off of his fingertips, "No more excuses! What is done... is done! Megavolt will clean the wrongdoings you people have done! I should kill you now..."

"W-wait! El-Sparky!"

Megavolt freezes in place and growls loudly "What did you just called me? Did you just called me Sparky?!" as his temper grew with intensity the blue sparks erupting from him did as well.

"Y-Yes!" Drake stood up from the ground, preparing to flee from the crazed man. His eyes widen as he watched a large spark erupt from Megavolt's fingers, almost like a bolt from a Tesla coil, "Is… that a problem?"

"Yes! Do not call me… SPARKY!" Megavolt roared as he flung a bolt towards Drake.

"Yikes!" Drake whelp as he jumped up into the air, watching the ground char around him. As soon as his webbed feet touched the ground, Drake Mallard started to run for dear life, accepting the fact that his friend was now gone. Regardless of the pain his entire body was feeling at this moment, the instinctual duck fleeing skills and agility was in overdrive. this was a battle for life versus death. And at this moment, Drake Mallard chose life.

"Get back here, Mal-Mall- Whatever the hell your name is!" Megavolt screamed as he flung more bolts at the fleeing Mallard, "Nobody will escape my wrath!"

Drake didn't look back as he ran from his old friend. He cringed as he heard him manically laugh from the distance, the cracks of his bolts hitting the ground like lightning from a storm. Drake Mallard had created a crazed monster. A monster fed on electric energy. It didn't matter anymore if Drake would try to save him. Elmo Sputterspark was too far gone, buried in the depths of insanity and he was already starting to show signs of memory loss. It was too late.

As he kept running, his body searing in pain from the glass trapped inside the sea of feathers and flesh. One of Megavolt's bolts seared Drake's left arm, burning away the feathers and turning bits of his flesh into a dark hue. A sea of black and purple. He cries out in pain as he glances down to his dark wing-like arm. No matter how much how much pain he was in, Drake kept running.

_I need to hide… i...don't know if I'm safe. i don't know where…._ Drake ran into the small grove of trees. He collapses into an empty field; his body couldn't handle it anymore. The night sky gleamed brightly above him as he rolled onto his back. His mind was still racing but his body needed the rest. Drake fought to stay awake as he tried to accept what happened.

"Some engineer, huh?" he coughs out as he felt around his chest, pulling the glass from his body. He winces as he pulls out a large shard of glass from his arm, his blood dripping from the clear object. Drake groans loudly as he throws his arm down onto the ground, "Some… engine…" he mutters as he gives into his body's demand for sleep, "eer…"

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_Good Morning Saint Canard! Last night, the city was rocked by an explosion in Lab 1124 of the engineering firm of Quackwerks. Elmo Sputterspark, the engineer who was assigned to the lab has been assumed dead. There was another person in the time of the lab but no one can confirm the person's identity… KYTZ Channel 6 news will keep everyone updated on this horrible tragedy…._

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Drake opened his eyes to the sound of songbirds singing overhead, the massive canopy of leaves guarding the injured duck from the bright rays of the sun. He hisses in pain as he sits up from his make-shift bed of leaves and other foliage. Small shards of glass fell from his body as he slowly got to his feet. Though his body was still sore from the events of the night, the rest gave his own body the kick start it needed to begin his advance healing. A property that most citizens in Saint Canard share, a property that allowed the body to recover from wounds faster than any normal being in assumed other worlds. Some call it a perk of being unlike their normal counterparts, while others call it a curse of its own.

"What a night..." He mutters as he rubs his bill, feeling the small cuts that graced the hard surface. Drake tries to move his left arm to help sweep off the shattered glass but bites at his bill when he remembered the burn. An electrical burn caused by Elmo Sputter- No, Megavolt as an attempt to kill him. He looks down at his injured arm, his flesh a light pink from the burns, his skin covered with the small buds of the new feathers,

"Great….burns. This is just wonderful… who knows by now they think I'm de-" he looks out to the distance to see the suburbia that was his home. Drake didn't know if it was safe to go back home or what. The words of his former partner still ringing loud inside of his mind as he tried to recalled the events of the past night. Drake Mallard had created a monster due to his actions. A monster that he created because he was stubborn and didn't listen to him Drake knew that there was nothing he could do to bring back the man who was his friend, his partner, his colleague, and his high school graduate back to the world of the sane. There was no one to stop him. No one would know how 'Megavolt' was created except for him. Drake Mallard had to stop him… no, he couldn't because to himself. Drake Mallard was a coward, a stubborn fool who should have died in the explosion the night before.

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There you go… chapter 1. Please review at the end so I can further improve my story for my characters on my role-playing site.


	2. Birth by Shadows

**My sincere apologizes for lack of updates, I have been busy with school and work. Another reason is that my beta reader has bailed on me when I really needed him so this is a horrible chapter. Once again, my apologizes...**

**Notes: Read the Author's note in the first chapter for explanation of the story and I do not own Darkwing Duck... though I wish I did. **

**Chapter 2: Birth By Shadows**

_It had been a month since the explosion at Quackwerks and what officials from the company have confirmed that the cause of the explosion was due to a mechanical failure on the Voltage project that was funded by the military. Elmo Sputterspark, who was supposedly dead had been found roaming the streets of Saint Canard claiming that his name is now Megavolt and has been parading around the city looking like a walking plug in... everyone is warned to stay away from this crazed lunatic at all possible costs..._

"Of course they would forget about me…" Drake mutters as he turns off the television, he rubs his left arm, his feathers almost fully grown back, "It's not like I was the head of that project...I…" he sighs as he places his hands on his bill, "I guess I should just officially disappear…. it's not like anyone will miss Drake Mallard. Why does he get all the headlines? I should have gotten some… if not all. He was nothing! I was the one who got several projects started. _I _was the best engineer that company has _ever seen._ It should be me! Not Sparky! M-!"

The lights inside the house began to flicker rapidly before growing dark, the humming sounds of the nearby generator slowly died down into silence. The entire city was black as the night sky. The bleak colors of black and a dark hue of people casted their shadows inside. The eerie sounds of silence followed by the faint beat of Drake's heart. For the first time, Drake felt at peace. The silence and the shadows of the night seemed to calm him once more like they did over a month ago.

He wanted to disappear. He wanted to fade into the shadows and never wanted to be seen again. Drake Mallard, a man who was known for his wit and his ego would no longer exist. He could just fade away from the world. He was weak. He was vulnerable. Drake sat in deep thought as he tried to come up with a way to disappear for good. The world seem to not need him after all. But then his craving thirst for that wanted attention started to take over. The attention that he should have gotten when the explosion occurred in the first place. An explosion that created a _monster._

That's when it hit him. An idea that struck him like a lightning bolt during a storm. An idea that would make Drake Mallard disappear for good, give him the attention that he deserves, and get rid of the monster that he helped create. He was going to become a new person. Drake Mallard was going to take on a new identity that people will know. An identity that would stop Megavolt from destroying much more of the city with his electrical power hungry ways. An identity that would use his skills to his advantage. An identity that only thrives in the shadows of the night.

_I'm going to be a hero….thats the only way I can stop him and get me tha attention I deserve. .. _Drake thought as his eyes shot open to the empty, silent living room, _Not just any old hero that thrives on powers and sidekicks though… a hero that is dependent on his intellectual wit, devilishly good looks , and the fact that he lives in the shadows….That will give me the headlines. That will get rid of Sparky...That will get rid of Drake Mallard…._

He slowly got off of his couch with a determined grin plastered on his bill. Drake started to pace in the dark, watching his shadows follow him. He needed to find a way to do this without being caught. He needed a safe haven for this new life. A home, as one would call it. But where? He also needed a name and a costume. If Drake wanted to do this, if he wanted to live this new life. He needed to do this right. The costume could always wait until he was ready. But he still needed a name. Drake Mallard, a hero; wasn't going to suit him anymore. Drake Mallard was dead and never coming back. As he continued to pace around in his dark living room, his eyes caught the glimpse of the Audubon Bay Bridge from the distance. It's four towers that were once glowing with light now dark and they had been for a long time since they announced that the project was abandoned due to "issues with the designer". A project that he was assigned and was to modified allowing military usage in the towers. His electric blue eyes widen as he watched a teal electric bolt hit the top of the tower casting the dark colors of purple and black.

He quickly shook his head as he glanced down to his body, the dark purple and black casting themselves upon him. "Shadows…. Darkness… wait…" He chuckles triumphantly as he finally came up with a name, "Drake Mallard… you had just had your last night…. because Darkwing Duck… was born and I'm going to take my skills and abandon this home. The tower! They abandoned that sucker and it's now mine! Saint Canard won't see me coming."

A year of full of trials and errors, a year of working out the kinks and inventing things that would make the 'local' heroes squirm. It was year full of development and self discovery. Before he renounced his name as Drake Mallard, he spent trying to formulate his new identity. He carried no name for over a year. He had spent his life using his 'name' just to survive as watched his family fund slowly dwindle as he developed his 'home' and his life. The more he spent developing his sense of identity, developing his mask of that was Darkwing as he tried his best to bury his past, the more he was beginning to lose himself as Drake. His thirst for being known slowly transformed into a sickness of fame and ego. He became full of himself as he tried to be the best fighter that he thought the world has ever seen. Darkwing didn't care about the common citizens, he didn't care about learning their names, their stories. Just like a budding celebrity; all Darkwing cared about was the fame and fortune that follows. Darkwing was going to get his fame; he was going to be known not matter what.

Just as a bolt of lightning struck the Audubon Bay bridge tower, a lone figure stood out amongst the dark sky. There was another bolt of lightning, the crackling flash of light followed by booming sounds of thunder. Rain pour from the heavens as the lone figure stared out into the large metropolis that is Saint Canard. The figure's electric blue eyes seemed to be full of a unseen luster as he watches the lights flicker with excitement.

_It was time…_He told himself as he quickly turned away back to his tower, his dripping wet cape clinging onto his body. The Masked Mallard smirks as he slips his wide brim fedora off his head and threw it to the side. Darkwing Duck was still waiting for some action to prove his worth. Megavolt has been extremely quiet as of late which was upsetting because he wanted to go against him. He huffs out in frustration as he starts pacing his tower waiting for some news. After one year of giving up his true identity, Darkwing Duck as yet to find any action. There was no scheme big enough where the police needed help from him. Hell, the police never knew he existed yet.

Darkwing Duck, born from shadows was the unknown force behind the town. He kept hidden in the shadows of the night and yet it was never enough for him. He wanted more. He wanted action. He wanted fame. He wanted to be known and remembered. But with the lack of crime for him to find, his dream to be remember was soon coming to an end. The Masked Mallard sighs as he slowly heads up to his makeshift room at the top of the tower. His home away from home and each step was to force him to forget all that he was in the past. But Darkwing didn't even make it halfway up the staircase when his computer started releasing a high pitch noise.

The Masked Mallard perks up with delight as he rushes back down the stairs towards his computer. His bright blue eyes lit up with excitement as a red dot started to flash to where the First National Bank of Saint Canard was located. "A robbery! Yes! Just what I needed tonight!"

Darkwing Duck grins as he rushes towards his RatCatcher, his eyes flashing with excitement as he jumped onto the seat. Finally, there was a chance for him to be known. One single chance for him to remembered him as a hero of the night. One chance for him to finally throw away his pastHe smirks as he revved his engine before taking off in the night. The wheels squealing loudly as he rode down the support wires of the bridge. The moon casting a dark shadow onto the Masked Mallard as the light reflected off the water below. The RatCatcher as hit the pavement, its wheels squealed loudly with delight as it roared off into the distance.


End file.
